Fool’s Theory is a Polish studio led by Jakub Rokosz, former Senior Quest Designer for The Witcher 2 and 3 at CD Projekt Red. Fool’s Theory is currently working on a remake of the first Witcher game, and CDPR has “full creative oversight,” so the relationship between the two must be good.
Additionally, Fool’s Theory has an original game in development that was recently revealed. The Thaumaturge is an early 20th century version of an isometric RPG set in Warsaw where spirit beings called Salutors are summoned by occultists and tamed for their own purposes. You play one of his saluteers as seen in the gameplay trailer. In addition to fistfighting and jogging in various parts of Russian-controlled Warsaw, he directs two spirits.
Those spirits are Bukavak — the eyeless, four-armed one with all hooks and chains — and Upir — a friendly-looking skull-faced chap in a fur cap, apparently vengeful. It is the ghost of a burning aristocrat.
Salutes have a variety of abilities that they can control and contribute to in Thomatage’s turn-based combat. “A terrifying monster that embodies punishment for heinous crimes,” Bukavak can deal damage with Silmian Whisper or Howl attacks, and can inflict a debuff called Agony that causes exhaustion damage. It also has a Bloody Wedding skill that deals more damage the more enemies you have. They’re basically Pokemon and really messed up.
Mages also promise to have investigative mechanisms, moral decisions based on choices and consequences, and the ability to develop protagonists in different ways that open up different options for solving problems.
Like The Witcher Remake, The Thaumaturge is being developed in Unreal Engine 5. At least until the undead show up.
Fool’s Theory previously backed Larian as a supporting studio on Divinity: Original Sin 2 and Baldur’s Gate 3, and released an RPG called Seven: The Days Long Gone in 2017. This time around, the studio is working with Frostpunk creator 11 Bit. , is the publisher of The Thaumaturge. No release date has been announced yet, but vapor (opens in new tab), Gog (opens in new tab)and the Epic Games Store (opens in new tab).
